Vaginal tampon



Oct. 17, 1939. R. 1-. WELLS VAGIN 'L TAMPON Filed Jan. 13, 1936 n RuthWells aux wwv L wwwwwmw Patented a. ,11, 1939- VAGINAL TAMPON Ruth T.Wells, Excelsior, Minn assignor to Tux Incorporated, Minneapolis, Minn,a corporation of Minnesota ApplicationJanuary 13, 1936, Serial No.58,906

6 Claims.

My invention relates to vaginal tampons and has for an object to providea tampon particularly adapted for use during the catamenial period.

An object of the invention resides in providing a tampon which may beeasily and conveniently inserted.

Another object of the invention resides in providing a tampon which willhave "great ab- 10 sorptive powers and a large capacity.

A still further object of the invention resides in providing a tamponwhich is normally of relatively small diametral dimensions and readilyrigid to facilitate easy insertion and which will readily expand afterinsertion to proportions giving the desired capacity.

An object of the invention resides in providing the tampon with a bodyconstructed of a loose fibrous material arranged inthe form of acylinder and normally compressed to reduce the size 'of the same.

Another object of the invention resides in constructing the body in theform of a cylinder and in gathering the peripheral portion of thecylinder to reduce the diameter thereof A still further object of theinvention resides in providing a fold in the body for reducing thediameter of the tampon and for stiffening the same.

A feature of the invention resides in providing the outer surface of thebody with a sizing for assisting in maintaining the form of the tampon,a portion of such surface being included in the fold and disposed withinthe confines of the body.

An object of the invention resides in providing a pull string forremoving the tampon, said string having a. reach extending diametrallythrough the body nearone end, and having two reaches extendingdiagonally through the body in converging relation from the ends of thefirst named reach and emerging from the end of the body near the centerthereof, said string having two other reaches extending freely from thebody and issuing from the ends of the second named reaches.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterillustrated and/or described.

In the drawing:

Fig; 1 is a perspective view of a tampon in a container illustrating anembodiment of my ina vention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tampon with I the container removedand showing the manner of holding the tampon for the purpose ofinserting the same.

Fig. 5 iS a perspective view of an expanded tampon. 1'10 Fig. 6 is afragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 6-.-6 of Fig. 5.

7 is a crosslsectional view taken on line 7- 1 of Fig. 5.

In the use of tampons for absorption of men-T- ll strual discharges,considerable'dlfficulty has been encountered in procuring tampons ofsumcient capacity to meet with the requirements. When the size of thetampon is increased, it becomes more difllcult to insert the same. Whenthe fibers are more loosely arranged to give greater absorptive powers,rigidity is sacrificed which also augments the difficulty of insertingthe tampen. I have found that when a tampon is constructed cylindricallyof larger diameter than is Q! desirable for easy insertion, and thefibers arranged in a loose form and the tampon so constructed gatheredat the periphery thereof as by providing a fold extending longitudinallyof the tampon, that the diameter is greatly reduced and it also thatgreater stiifness and rigidity is procured so that the tamponmay be moreeasily inserted. The present invention overcomes the enumerated diillculties in the manner stated.

My invention in the first stage of its manu!ac'- Slture is shown inFigs. 5, 6 and '7. The tampon which is indicated in its entirety by thereference character A is constructed of cotton or cellulose fibersarranged loosely to form an elastic. and readily compressible elongatedcylindrical 0 body ID. This body has a peripheral. surface H and ends I!and I! which may be cut square or tapered as desired. By having thefibers arranged in a rather loose formation, greater absorbtive powersand greater capacity result. In' the construction of the body I0, sheetsat thin cotton batten are wound-upon themselves to form an elongatedroll of suitable diameter which I is subsequently cut off in suitablelengths to form n the body of the tampon. Due to the characteristics ofcotton fibers, the fiber of the layers of the cotton batten intermingleand bind the layers together. Such action is augmented by rolling theformed roll between rollers so that a,

composite structure is formed which is substantially homogeneous information.

The body Ill of the tampon is of a diameter considerably greater thanwould be desirable were the tampon to'be inserted without beingconstructed in accordance with my invention. A diameter offrom.three-fourths inch to one and one-half inches may be used. A tamponof such dimensions can onlybe inserted with the greatest dimculty andparticularly when constructed of loosely disposed fibers. However, whenin place such a tampon functions in.a most effective manner to absorband retain within the vagina the maximum quantity of the discharge. Thelength of the tampon is not critical. A length between two and threeinches is suitable.

To prevent sluifing of fibers at the surface of the body III, whichfibers readily adhere to the mucous surfaces of the vagina, a coating I4is applied to the surface I I. This coating is in the nature of a sizewhich may be made with glyceride of starch as the principal ingredient.v Such a coating prevents the fibers at the surface from being pulledaway from the body and at the same time help give form to the tamponpreventing the body from expanding beyond a crosssectional area definedby the peripheral surface ll When the coating is constructed of such acomposition, the porosity of the surface I I is not materially reduced,absorption through the coating ll being almost as free as without thesame.

For the purpose of removing the tampon, a pull string I5 is employed.This string is attached to one end of the body In in the followinmanner: The string I5 is first threaded on a needle and the needle theninserted into the end ll of the body ill near the center thereof anddirected diagonally through the body, causing it to emerge from the bodythrough the surface II and on one side l6 of the body. The needle isthen directed diametrally through the body In, causing the string toemerge from the opposite side I! of the body. Thereafter the needle isdirected back into the body through the surface II thereof diagonallytoward the point of entry, causing the string to emerge from the end i3of the body l near the center thereof and in close proximity to theother end of the string. By

means of this procedure the pull string i is formed with. a reach 20extending substantially diametrally through the body i0 and inwardly ofthe end l3 thereof. Issuing from the ends of this reach are two diagonalreaches [8 and I9 which emerge from the end l3 of the body Ill. Incontinuation of these reaches are two reaches 2| and '22 which are freefrom the tampon and which are grasped by the user in removing thetampon. These reaches are preferably knotted together at their ends asindicated at 23 in the drawing.

The principal feature of my invention resides in gathering the material.of the tampon at the surface ll thereof. One method of producing thisresult resides in forming a fold 24 in the body l0 which extendslongitudinally thereof. This is accomplished by doubling back uponitself a portion of the body I. In the construction of this fold a bladesuch as a dull knife blade is placed upon the surface H in alongitudinal direction, while the body lil rests upon a suitable supportor is held in the hand. This blade is applied at a localitymidwaybetween the two sides l6 and I1 and pressed inwardly in a radialdirection. At the same time the parts of the body separated by suchblade are urged together by applying pressure on the two sides l6 and llof the body. This gives the body the desired shape permitting ofremoving the blade from the fold.

For the purpose. of holding the body of the tampon folded, said body isinserted into a Cellophane bag 21. This is accomplished by inserting thefolded tampon into a metal tube. The bag is then slipped over the tubeand the tampon ejected from the tube by means of a suitable plunger. Asthe tampon engages the bottom 28 of the bag, both bag and tampon arewithdrawn from the tube, the tampon being within the bag. The open end29 of the bag may then be sealed in the. customary manner. If desired,the pull string i5 may be laid along the fold 24 of the body l0 when thetampon is inserted in the bag and the free end 3! thereof caused toextend through the open end 29 of the bag as shown in Fig. 2. Thispermits of using the string to tear apart the bag when the tampon isdesired for use.

The method of using the device is as follows: The sealed end 29 of thebag 21 is first opened. The tampon A may then be removed by pulling onthe pull string l5. This will cause the tampon to he slid out of thebag. Or, if desired, the string l5 may be pulled toward the end 28 ofthe bag which rips the bag open. The tampon is then grasped as shown inFig. 4 between the forefinger and thumb with the end 12 outermost,pressure being applied to the two sides I6 and ll of the body Hi tomaintain the body folded. While so held the body I0 is then insertedinto the vagina throughthe hymen and the exterior vaginal orifice. Dueto the construction of the tampon insertion is rendered easy since thediameter of the tampon is appreciably reduced and since the body hasgreater rigidity and stiffness than would be the case were the tamponconstructed in the ordinary manner. is inserted until the same is wellabove the hymen. This leaves the pull string extending through thevaginal orifice and the end 3i of such string exposed upon the exterior.Upon entry into the inner cavity of the vagina where the pressure is notso great as at the vaginal orifice, the body Iii expands, the fold 24opening up until the body has substantially resumed its original shape,as shown in Fig. 5. In such form the body I0 is highly porous and hasits greater capacity for absorption. After a prescribed length of timeit becomes desirable to remove the tampon. This is accomplished bypulling the same out through the vaginal orifice by means of the pullstring i5 which is readily accessible from the exterior.

The advantages of my invention are manifest. The device is extremelypractical and convenient. The device has greatabsorbtive powers and isreadily inserted. Due to the folding of the body of the tampon the sameoccupies but a limited space and can be conveniently carried about. Thetampon can be constructed at prac tically no greater expense thanordinary tampons.

Changes in the specific form of my invention, as herein disclosed, maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. The method of constructing vaginal tampons which consists in rollinga sheet of fibrous material upon itself to form a cylindrical roll, inapplying pressure to the outer surface of the roll along alongitudinalelement thereof and toward The tampon the center of the roll to distortthe contacted surface and move the same inwardly beyond theouterconfines of the roll, in shifting the portions of the roll adjacent saidelement toward one another and in maintaining contact between saidportions of the roll and releasing the pressure along said element.

2. A vaginal tampon comprising an elongated body consisting of a mass ofloose fibrous material susceptible of expansion upon being compressed,

a surfacing on the lateral surfaces of said body resisting extension inthe direction of its extent,

said surfacing andthe adjoining portion of the body being gathered alonga longitudinal line to form a longitudinal bight extending withinthebody and compressing said body, and means for temporarily holding thesurfacing gathered to maintain the body compressed.

'3. A vaginal tampon comprising an elongated body consisting of a massof loose fibrous mate-- rial susceptible of expansion upon beingcompressed, a surfacing on the lateral surfaces of said body resistingextension in the direction of its extent, a portion of said surfacingextending substantially radially inwardly into the body, the portion ofsaid surfacing adjacent said first named portion extending substantiallyradially outwardly from said first named portion and being arranged faceto face with respect thereto to form a longitudinally extending bightwithin said body spaced from the opposite portion of the surfacing andcompressing said body, and

means 'for temporarily holding said surfacing with the radiallyextending portions face to face to maintain the body compressed.

3 4. A vaginal tampon comprising an elongated body consisting of a massof'loose fibrous material susceptible of expansion upon beingcompressed, a surfacing on the lateral surfaces of said bodyresistlngextension in the direction of its extent, said surfacing beinggathered along a longitudinal line to form a longitudinal creaseextending along the body and confined to a substantially radial plane,the gathering of said surfacing compressing said body, and means forpressing the body ofthe roll, and means for holding said lamina gatheredto maintain the body compressed. i

6. A vaginal tampon comprising an elongated body of a mass of loosecellulosic absorbent material, an element on the surface of said bodyless expansible than said mass, said mass being radially compressed andhaving a section of the surface folded inwardly longitudinally of thebody, and releasable means retaining the said mass in compressedcondition.

RUTH T. WELLS.

